Sacrifice
by Gozilla
Summary: (No slash) During the battle at the Black Gate, what if the battle went horribly wrong and Legolas had to make a choice between his own life and his best friend’s life.
1. Chapter 1: The Fall of the Elf

Sacrifice  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hi there! This is the first LOTR fic I have ever done. So please be gentle on the comments. ^-^ Also, as I have only watched the three LOTR movies and have just started reading the books, there may be discrepancies or OOCs. Please kindly bear with me.  
  
Summary: This is an AU Legolas-centred "what-if" story which took place during the very last battle of in the Return of the King (i.e., the one at the Black Gate to distract the eye of Sauron from Fordo and Sam when they approached the Mount Doom). What if the battle went horribly wrong and Legolas had to make a choice between his own life and his best friend's life.  
  
No slash! Only pure friendship!  
  
Now, let's stop talking and get started!  
  
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*crap* – thoughts / tree talks  
  
"crap" – conversation  
  
(crap) – author's note  
  
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Chapter 1: The Fall of the Elf  
  
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Flood of fierce looking orcs rushed out of the gigantic Black Gate and quickly surrounded the warriors. All of the warriors, even for Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, and Gandalf, who had faced grave dangers in their lives, could not stop but feeling fear overwhelming their hearts.  
  
Aragorn looked at his best and life-long friend. Legolas, in return, nodded with hard determination at Aragorn, giving the future king the confidence he needed.  
  
Unsheathing his sword, Aragorn turned to face the army of orcs and raised his sword towards the sky. With a battle cry, he charged towards the foiled creatures.  
  
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~30 minutes later~  
  
Legolas struck down a gigantic orc with his twin knives. He had no time to spare a breath as he blocked the attack of yet another gigantic orc. They were too outnumbered and the chance of winning seemed very remote.  
  
He stole a glimpse of the battlefield. His heart twisted in pain as he saw many of the fine warriors who bravely accompanies their future king to the battle fell under the merciless attacks of the dark creatures.  
  
Legolas slain three other orcs and scanned the battle field again, looking for his friends.  
  
First he saw Gimli, who, as usual, had little difficulty killing orcs while counting his score. Legolas couldn't help but smiled as his stubborn dwarf friend refused to admit the elf's victory in this orc-killing contest in the previous battles.  
  
After killing another two orcs, Legolas found Gandalf, fighting with his staff fiercely. He was amused by the power and skills of the old wizard.  
  
But Legolas could not find his best friend. He fought fiercely and killed six orcs in an instance. The orcs around him were terrified and backed a little, giving the elf a few extra moments to search for Aragorn.  
  
Legolas gasped as he finally saw his friend, being heavily attacked by an exceptionally large orc. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Aragorn tripped over by a body on the ground, losing balance for a few seconds. The orc took the advantage of the moment and drove its large black axe against the future king.  
  
Without second thought, Legolas dropped his twin knives to the ground, knowing deep in his heart that he would probably not be able to use them any more. With lightning speed, he took his bow and shot an arrow with deadly accuracy towards the heart of the orc attacking Aragorn.  
  
Just as he saw the arrow plummet into the heart of the orc, Legolas felt a piercing white-hot pain screamed through his chest.  
  
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Aragorn fought hard against the exceptionally large orc. He had never seen one with this size before and its power was incredible. He had to use all his strength to block its attacks. But each blow of the orc he blocked sent fear to him that his arms might break under the impact.  
  
Suddenly, Aragorn tripped over a body on the ground and lost his balance for a brief moment. He watched in terror as the orc took advantage of the distraction and drove its large black axe towards him.  
  
But the attack never came. Aragorn watched as the orc stopped moving all of a sudden and fell heavily to the ground. He saw the end of a familiar elven arrow sticking out of the orc's body, with most of it inserted deep into the heart of the foiled creature.  
  
Aragorn looked at the direction where the arrow came and found his elf friend, who was standing not far away from him, with an empty bow in his hand.  
  
Aragorn watched in confusion as he sensed something wrong with the scene. His eyes widened in horror as he realised that there was an orc behind the elf, with its black sword plummeted through Legolas' chest, its black blade covered with the silvery red blood of the elf.  
  
Aragorn fought as hard as he could, trying to clear a way to reach the elf. He watched helplessly as Legolas slowly fell to his knees. Another gigantic orc towered over the elf, with its deadly club over its head and ready to strike the target.  
  
As if it was in slow motion, Aragorn saw Legolas smiled, a weak but un- mistakenly happy smile, and formed silent words with his lips to him.  
  
*Farewell, my friend.*  
  
And the orc's club hit mercilessly onto the side of the elf's head.  
  
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Aragorn yelled, in anger and despair, and slain every orcs which stood between him and his fallen friend. He stood by Legolas' still body on the ground and swung his sword against anything which came close.  
  
Legolas lied on his side, limp and unmoving. His eyes were tightly closed and his face and upper body covered with blood. Aragorn's heart twisted in pain as he saw a pool of silvery-red blood slowly forming beneath the elf.  
  
"Legolas!" he shouted, fear and desperation filled his voice, as he killed an approaching orc.  
  
No response.  
  
"Legolas! Don't you dare leaving us like this!" he shouted, killing off another orcs.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"LEGOLAS!!"  
  
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Aragorn did not know how long had he fought nor did he know how many orcs he had killed. All he knew was that all the orcs suddenly stopped fighting and started to flee in fear.  
  
Aragorn looked up and saw the eye of Sauron collapsing and falling from the top of the black tower.  
  
"They made it." Gandalf whispered, approaching Aragorn, "Frodo and Sam had destroyed the Ring." but there was no trace of joy in his words, for he had also witnessed the fall of Legolas.  
  
Aragorn, on the other hand, turned away from the scene and knelt beside Legolas. He gently held the elf's bloodied limp body in his arms.  
  
"Legolas, my brother." Aragorn whispered, "Open your eyes. The eye of Sauron is falling. We made it. The darkness is fading. Please open your eyes. You would not want to miss this historical event, for you were one of the major forces to make it happen. Please, open you eyes."  
  
But Legolas did not open his eyes to witness the coming of peace to Middle Earth.  
  
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End of Chapter 1  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	2. Chapter 2: When they first met

Sacrifice  
  
By Gozilla  
  
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Hi there! Thank you sooooo much for all of you who left me very encouraging reviews!! I am so happy to read so many reviews in two days! Thank you very much!! I love you all!!  
  
No, Legolas is not dead, yet! Would there be anyone who can save him? Please read to find out! ^-^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* – thoughts / tree talks  
  
"crap" – conversation  
  
(crap) – author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 2: When they first met  
  
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~Two days later~  
  
Inside a room in the Gondor palace, Legolas was laid on a soft bed.  
  
The elf's body had been cleaned and heavily wrapped. The wounds on the side of his head and his chest were severe. Blood was still sneaking from the wounds through the bandages, even after they were inflicted by the foiled creatures two days ago.  
  
Legolas looked peaceful. His eyes were tightly closed and his face pale as snow. His breathing was shallow and slow.  
  
On the other hand, Aragorn, who was still wearing the same clothes tainted with the black blood of the orcs and the silvery red blood of his friend, sat beside the bed with his head lowered.  
  
It had been two days since the fall of the eye of Sauron. However, there was no celebration in Gondor as their future king was in deep mourning over the fall of his best friend.  
  
Aragorn refused to eat or drink during the two days. He just sat and stared at Legolas' still body in front of him. Watching every breath Legolas took and released, hoping and praying that it was not the last breath the elf's dying lungs would take in.  
  
Nobody dared disturbing the king.  
  
The door of the room slowly opened. It was Gandalf. He sighed as he found Aragorn did not even blink to acknowledge his entry. He closed the door quietly and approached Aragorn.  
  
He gently put his hand on Aragorn's shoulder, "My friend, I know it is hard for you to accept the reality." he said as he turned to look at Legolas, "His wounds are too severe even for an elf to heal. The brave prince is still breathing only due to pure willpower. There is nothing we can do. He will leave us very soon."  
  
Gandalf bent and faced the depressed king, "But you can't go on like this. Otherwise, you may depart from this world even before the elf does. Your people need you, for they need a king to lead them to rebuild the country."  
  
Aragorn did not turn or even move. He looked at the pale face of the elf, "I remember the first time I met him. I was actually scared of him."  
  
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~Flashback~  
  
Elrond paced anxiously in his study, waiting for his soldiers to return.  
  
"Lord Elrond!" an elf soldier called and knelt at the door.  
  
Elrond rushed to the door, "So, did the troop arrived in time? Did you save the king?"  
  
The soldier answered with hesitation, "Lord Elrond, your foresight was correct. The troop of the human king was attacked by the orcs army of Sauron. But... we were too late to save the king and the queen. They were both killed by the orcs before we arrived. We could only save the king's child, who was being protected by the king's guards to their last breath. All the other humans died in the battle."  
  
"I was hoping that it wouldn't be too late." Elrond sighed in defeat, "So where is the child?"  
  
The soldier signalled a servant near the door. A child was brought to the elf lord.  
  
Elrond looked at the eyes of the child, which were filled with terror and distrust. He sighed and hugged the child, "I am sorry that we cannot save your parents. I will take you as my foster son and we will take care of your from now on."  
  
The child struggled in fear against the elf. Elrond let go of the child and asked, "My son, what is your human name and age?"  
  
The child stared at the elf lord with suspicious and did not reply.  
  
The soldier said, "Lord Elrond, the last human guard told us that the prince's man name is Aragorn and he is six years of human age."  
  
"Aragorn, my son." Elrond repeated the name, "I shall give you an elven name and you shall be called 'Estel' in the land of Rivendell."  
  
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~One month later~  
  
Ever since the day, Aragorn, who was being called Estel in Rivendell, did not speak of a word and always stayed away from anyone.  
  
The elf lord's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, tried everything to open up the heart of their new brother but no avail. They tried to talk to him in countless occasions, but they never receive any response from the child. Slowly, they gave up hope and let their little brother be alone as he wished.  
  
One day, Estel hid in his usual hiding place, in the great forest outside of the Rivendell palace. He sat leaning against a tree staring at the bright blue sky when he heard the laughter of his twins brothers. Curious, he stood behind a tree and watched as the twins ran excitedly out of the palace and along a road which led to the eastern border of Rivendell.  
  
"It has been quite a while since he last came!" Estel heard Elladan spoke to his twin happily.  
  
"Yes, I hope he would stay for a bit longer this time!" Elrohir replied as the twins ran further and Estel could not hear any of the conversation any more.  
  
A few moments later, the voices of the twins returned. Estel could not stop his curiosity about the person the twins discussed. He again hid behind a tree and watched.  
  
He saw the twins walked along with an elf in between them, talking excitedly. The elf had soft blonde hair and pale features. Estel remembered his father taught him about the different tribes of the elves and their distinctive appearance. He knew that the elf was a wood elf.  
  
Suddenly, the elf stopped walking. It seemed that he was listening to something. He looked around the trees in the forest. Suddenly, without hesitation, he turned and looked straight into Estel's eyes.  
  
Estel felt his heart skipped a beat and hid himself completely behind the tree. The penetrating eyes of the wood elf gave him a shock. His heart was pounding so heavily as if it wanted to escape from his chest.  
  
Estel listened carefully but could not hear any sound. Slowly, he leaned and peered behind the trees, hoping that he was unnoticed by the elves.  
  
But when he turned, Estel found himself in the shadow of someone. He looked up and met the curious silvery-blue eyes of the wood elf. He fell to the ground in shock.  
  
"Oh, hello Estel, what are you doing here?" Elladan asked, smiling and standing behind the wood elf.  
  
"Hey, Legolas, meet our new brother, Estel." Elrohir said, "He is a human. He has been here for only a month."  
  
Legolas raised his hand, trying to help the human child to get up to his feet.  
  
Estel slapped the elf's hand roughly before getting up and ran away.  
  
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~Two days later~  
  
Estel sat by the river in the far part of Rivendell, watching the water currents whirling violently. There was a heavy rain in the night before and the water currents were furious in the river. The weather was cold but Estel paid little attention to it.  
  
The chaos in the river reminded Estel of the day when his parents were killed by the orcs, right in front of his eyes. He could almost hear the heart-breaking screams of his parents and the other people he loved. He curled into a tight ball as he relived the horrific event in his mind.  
  
He was so deep in thoughts that he didn't notice a herd of unicorns running along the riverbank and towards him. He was small and he sat so still that the unicorns did not even notice his presence.  
  
By the time Estel realised that the herd was closing in, it was too late. He was knocked by one of the unicorns and fell into the raging river.  
  
The currents were too strong for the child to swim back to the shore. Estel struggled hard but found it impossible to keep his face above the water. After swallowing some water, he began to sink and was close to falling into unconsciousness.  
  
Out of nowhere, he felt an arm wrapped around him and brought him up to the surface.  
  
Once up to the surface, Estel breathed in the sweet air hungrily. But it was not long before another angry current dragged him and his rescuer back under water.  
  
Estel felt the strong struggle of his rescuer against the currents, bringing him up to the surface to breathe once they got a chance. It was all in chaos and he could not think or do anything except holding his breath, desperately waiting for his rescuer to bring him up to the surface once again for another breath of precious air.  
  
Finally, not knowing how much time had passed, Estel felt his rescuer stepped on solid ground and dragged him along to the shore. Once he set foot on the land again, he fell to his knees and started throwing up water violently, so did his rescuer.  
  
Weakly, Estel turned and looked at his rescuer before blackness overwhelmed him. All he saw was a pair of silvery-blue eyes and his blonde hair.  
  
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End of Chapter 2  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	3. Chapter 3: Bond of Friendship

Sacrifice  
  
By Gozilla  
  
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Hello! Thank you so much for all the reviews and comments! I am amending the fic along the way to make it more in line with the book (hopefully). Please accept my apology for any OOCs or discrepancies. ^-^  
  
I know that elves should not be affected by sickness or coldness. But just to make the story more interesting, I assume that extreme coldness could still affect an elf. Please bear with me with that. Thanks!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* – thoughts / tree talks  
  
"crap" – conversation  
  
(crap) – author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 3: Bond of Friendship  
  
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~Flashback continues~  
  
Slowly, Estel returned to consciousness. The first thing he sensed was that there was a source of warmth from the front. The flashing of light in front of his eyes through his closed eyelids told him that there was a small fire burning in front of him.  
  
Estel opened his eyes and looked at the surroundings. He found himself in the wood beside the raging river, where he fell in earlier and almost died in there. Then it came to his attention that he was leaning on something soft.  
  
"You are awake." came a soft gentle voice.  
  
Weakly, Estel turned slowly to the source of the voice. A familiar face came to his sight.  
  
It was the wood elf he saw two days ago.  
  
Legolas' face was very pale. His blonde hair was dripping with water. His clothes were soaking. Estel could feel that the elf was trembling, which he assumed was probably due to the coldness of the weather.  
  
Estel moved and found himself half naked, with most of his wet clothes taken off and being wrapped in a dry brown-green blanket. The strong arms of the elf held gently around his body, letting the child leaned against his body.  
  
Before Estel could say anything, exhaustion and coldness overwhelmed him, dragging him back to the peaceful blackness.  
  
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Estel slowly opened his eyes. The familiar sight of his room made him fully awake.  
  
*Was that a dream?* he thought, confused.  
  
He sat up and found that he was in his usual sleeping dress. The light of the morning sun shone through the curtains of the window. Everything was normal.  
  
Estel was about to sigh in relief when he caught glimpse of a brown-green blanket neatly folded on the table near his bed.  
  
He rushed out of the bed and took the blanket. Shocked, he realised that the incidence was no dream.  
  
Although he still felt weak, he ran out of the room, trying to find his rescuer. He looked around the corridor but found no one to ask. After thinking of the possibilities, he ran towards the healing room of the palace.  
  
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The healing room was very quiet. Estel tiptoed along the corridor, looking for any sign of the wood elf.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a conversation between two persons from one of the resting rooms. He knew immediately that they were his elven brothers, Elladan and Elrohir. Quietly, he approached the room.  
  
"Was he out of his mind?" Estel heard Elrohir yelled, "He is a wood elf! It is by their nature that they can't swim! I knew Legolas is one of the exceptions, but he is never a good swimmer! But jumping into that raging river in the middle of winter! What was he thinking? Commit suicide?"  
  
"Keep your voice down." Elladan said, trying to calm his twin brother, "Haven't you heard what the healers said just now? Legolas is still in a fever and the most important thing is to let him sleep and rest. We don't want to wake him now."  
  
"I know! I heard them!" Elrohir argued, "But I just can't stop wanting to beat him up for doing something this stupid! He could have drowned with Estel back in that river! Ok, even so he was lucky enough to get out of the freezing water, he could have died with hypothermia out there in the wood if we weren't looking for him!"  
  
"Calm down, Elrohir." Elladan said, "He just wanted to save Estel. He would have come back to the palace with Estel if he had enough strength to do so. He was too exhausted after fighting against the currents that he could only lit a small fire and wait for rescue. Lucky that he always bring along a blanket whenever he travels, otherwise I am afraid that Estel might not survive the cold."  
  
"That child was stupid enough to get himself in the water in the first place!" Elrohir shouted angrily, "He almost killed our best friend. I am going to teach him a real lesson for this!"  
  
Estel could not stand it any more. He walked into the room, head lowered, "I am sorry."  
  
Elladan and Elrohir were surprised to see their little brother.  
  
Elladan approached Estel and held him gently, "Estel, why are you here? You are supposed to stay in bed and rest. You are just recovering from the incidence. Let me take you back to your room."  
  
"No." Estel answered, "Please Elladan, please take me to Legolas."  
  
"What do you want from him?" Elrohir asked, still in anger, "You have almost killed him for your own stupidity. He would be much better off if you would stay away from him."  
  
"Stop it, Elrohir!" Elladan interrupted, "Estel, please don't mind his harsh words. He is just blinded by anger. Now, you should go back to your room and take some rest."  
  
Estel didn't move, "Please Elladan, please take me to Legolas."  
  
Elladan sighed in defeat. He looked at his twin brother, who turned and walked out of the room, still angry with the child. Elladan led Estel to the inner room.  
  
Estel approached the bed, where Legolas was laid. The wood elf's face was flushing red due to the fever. His breathing was ragged and shallow.  
  
But what worried Estel the most was the fact that Legolas' eyes were closed. He remembered once his father told him that elves sleeps with their eyes closed only when they are seriously injured, sick, or mentally hurt.  
  
"Will he be alright?" Estel asked in a whisper.  
  
Elladan looked at his little brother, putting an assuring hand on his shoulder, "I am sure he will. He is always a strong warrior. I am sure a little bit of water won't be able to take his life." he said as he turned and slowly walked out of the room.  
  
Estel sat beside the bed and looked at Legolas for some good long moments, not knowing what to say. He ran through the whole incidence in his mind. Regrets filled his heart.  
  
"Why did you do that? Why did you risk your life to save me? I am nobody but a human orphan." he said as a drop of tear fell from his face and he started to sob.  
  
"Don't look down on yourself." came a weak whisper.  
  
Estel looked up in surprise, meeting the silvery-blue eyes of the elf. He couldn't help but smiled in happiness, while tears continued to fall, "You are awake."  
  
"I believe I said the same thing to you not so long ago." Legolas smiled weakly, his usually crystal clear eyes were clouded, "Don't worry. I am not ready to give up yet. Though I am already almost 3,000 years old, I am not planning to die in the next 3,000 years. I still have too many things I want to do." he choked and coughed violently as there was yet water in his lungs.  
  
Estel did not know what to do. He sat very still with tearful eyes and waited for the elf to stop coughing.  
  
Finally, Legolas stopped coughing. He lied on the bed and breathed heavily, exhausted.  
  
A few moments of silence passed. Estel gathered himself and asked in a whisper, "Why did you risk your life to save me?"  
  
Legolas stared at the ceiling and did not speak for a while. Estel felt uneasy with the silence.  
  
"I see myself in you."  
  
Shocked, Estel looked at the elf, confusion filled his gray eyes.  
  
"I see myself in you." Legolas continued, his voice weak but clear, "The twins told me about your experience. I, too, had lost my mother in an orc attack many years ago. She was killed right in front of my eyes, protecting me from death. I can feel your grief. I see identical grief of mine in your eyes."  
  
Tears started to roll down from Estel's eyes. For the first time since the orc attack incidence, Estel felt he could finally trust someone who understood his heart. He cried as he could finally release all the sadness and pain walled up inside him. Legolas stroke Estel's soft brown hair, whispering soft elvish words to comfort the child.  
  
Estel slowly ceased crying, he felt the heavy burden on his heart being carried away by the soft words of Legolas. He knew he was ready to face his new life.  
  
Estel smiled and he wiped away the tears. He straightened himself, "I would like to formally introduce myself. My name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, or Estel as I am called in Rivendell." he said as he offered a hand.  
  
Legolas smiled, "Nice to meet you, Aragorn. My name is Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thrandruil." he took Estel's hand and shook.  
  
~End of flashback~  
  
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Gandalf signed in defeat as he watched the future king lost in the memories with his best friend. He had sent a messager to Rivendell two days ago. He could only hope that Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen would make their way to Gondor before the future king collapses with the elf prince.  
  
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End of Chapter 3  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	4. Chapter 4: The Greenleaf and the Trees

Sacrifice  
  
By Gozilla  
  
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Hi there! It's me again! Yes, another update! I am so glad that some of you like the story! ^-^  
  
Again, please accept my apologies for any discrepancies and OOCs as I have just watched the 3 movies and started reading the book! Also, my imagination may go a bit too wild (especially about the abilities of the elves and their history ^-^). Sorry, sorry and sorry about all these!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* – thoughts / tree talks  
  
"crap" – conversation  
  
(crap) – author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 4: The Greenleaf and the Trees  
  
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~Two days later, midnight~  
  
Arwen stood in front of the door of the room where her lover stayed for the past four days. She and Lord Elrond received the message from Gandalf with the heart-breaking news of Legolas' injury in the last battle with Sauron's army.  
  
Along the way to Gondor, Arwen kept a concerned eye to her father. She knew that behind the emotionless mask of her father, Lord Elrond worried secretly for the serious injury of the prince of Mirkwood, who he always treated as his very own son.  
  
Arwen, herself, also found it difficult to accept the news. Legolas was like a little brother to her. As Lord Thrandruil and Lord Elrond were very close friends, Legolas visited Rivendell frequently since he was an elfling. She watched him grow and taught him everything about Rivendell.  
  
But she knew that it was not the time for her to mourn. Her lover, who became best friend with Legolas since he was six, was in deep grief over the possible loss of his friend. He needed her.  
  
Arwen entered the room. The first thing she saw was the heavily wrapped body of Legolas. Her heart twisted in pain as she held the icy cold hand of the elf prince. Fighting back tears, she turned to her lover.  
  
She was shocked to see Aragorn's thin dark face. She had never seen him in such depressed status.  
  
Gently, she wrapped her arms around Aragorn's shoulders and whisper, "My love, you cannot go on like this. Legolas' heart would be broken to see you in such deep grief."  
  
Aragorn did not turn, and said in a whisper, "Arwen, how can I not be? Legolas is my best friend. He sacrificed himself to save me from certain death. How am I going to repay him?" he said as he started to tremble.  
  
Arwen tightened the embrace to Aragorn, trying to calm him, "Aragorn, friendship is not about paying or repaying. It is about giving. Legolas knew very well the consequence for saving you. He made the choice. Do you think this is what he wanted? To see you wasting your life away after he gave his life to save it? Please, Aragorn, wake up. The people of Gondor need you. They need a king to lead them to rebuild the country and their lives. Please, do not throw away the hope Legolas gave his life away for."  
  
Arwen's soft words exploded like thunders in Aragorn's mind. A tear slid down his cheek, the first tear since the fall of Legolas. He started to cry and let all his pain released from his battered heart.  
  
Arwen hugged Aragorn tightly, with her own tears sliding down her cheeks.  
  
Moments later, Aragorn finally gave in to exhaustion and collapsed in Arwen's embrace.  
  
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~The next day morning~  
  
Aragorn woke up to the light of the morning sun. He felt like the whole incidence was a nightmare. How he wished so much that it was actually just a nightmare and that Legolas would walk into his room and say how lazy he was to have slept until the sun was up to the treetops.  
  
Aragorn covered his face with his hands. He still felt exhausted after a half night's sleep. He looked at the window and saw birds singing on the trees.  
  
"Legolas would love scenes like this..." he murmured.  
  
He had finally accepted the reality. He and Legolas had always expected the human to be the one to leave this world first, as the elves are immortals.  
  
Aragorn remembered once that they had actually discussed how himself wanted his funeral to be and where his burials place would be, expecting the elf to arrange all the procedures. But never once they had discussed the same thing for the elf.  
  
"My dear friend, why didn't you ever tell me where you would like to rest in peace for eternity?" he whispered.  
  
"He may not need the place. There is still one last hope for Legolas." came a soft voice from the door.  
  
"Arwen." Aragorn said, jumping to his feet, "Please tell me. Please tell me what you mean by the last hope for Legolas."  
  
"Father had inspected Legolas' injuries last night. They were too serious and he could not do anything about it. But I believe that there is still the last hope for Legolas." Arwen held Aragorn's hand, "Come. Before I tell you about the last hope for Legolas, we must now leave and bring Legolas to Rivendell. I shall tell you on our way a few stories about our beloved brother and the last hope for him."  
  
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~Flashback~  
  
Ever since Arwen first met the prince of Mirkwood when he was only a few days old, she knew in her heart that she had another little brother to love, apart from the twins, Elladan and Elrohir, who were only a few centuries older than the little Greenleaf.  
  
Lord Thrandruil brought his family to visit Rivendell almost every year. While the kings and queens spent time talking and enjoying themselves, the four children, Legolas, Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen would be together, playing.  
  
As the youngest among the four, Legolas got bullied by the twins occasionally. Arwen was always the one to comfort the upset elfling. She spent a lot of time teaching Legolas everything about Rivendell and telling him every story she knew.  
  
The bond between Legolas and Arwen became so strong that not even the one between she and the twins could rival.  
  
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~One night during one of the Thrandruil's visits to Rivendell~  
  
~Legolas was about 200 years old~ (A/N: Legolas was about the age of a toddler in human age.)  
  
The sound of panicked footsteps echoed along the corridor of the Rivendell palace.  
  
Arwen sensed the anxiety of the person running. Quickly, she got out of bed and went out of her bedroom. Arwen watched as a terrified elf maid rushed towards her. Arwen recognized that the maid was the one assigned to look after Legolas during the night. "What is happening?" she asked the maid gently.  
  
The elf maid knelt in front of Arwen, her voice filled with panic, "My lady, please help me, I don't know what to do. Prince Legolas is missing. I just went out of his room for a few minutes to get some water and he was gone. I searched the whole palace but still found no trace of him."  
  
Arwen comforted the maid, "Calm down my dear. I think I know where he is"  
  
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Arwen went into the wood in front of the palace. As a wood elf, the wood was always Legolas' favorite place. Every time he got missing, they could always find him somewhere in the wood.  
  
Arwen went into the wood without hesitation. She knew very well where the elfling's favorite tree was located. It was the most ancient and most gigantic tree in the land of Rivendell.  
  
But when she got there, she could not see anyone under the tree.  
  
Suddenly, a childish voice came from above, "Arwen."  
  
Arwen looked up and found Legolas sitting on one of the lower branches of the ancient tree. She smiled as she watched the elfling swinging his legs happily, "My dear little Greenleaf, you are supposed to be on bed in this hour. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"  
  
Legolas replied, with an innocent smile on his face, "I come because they called for me."  
  
Arwen was confused, "Who called for you?"  
  
Legolas' smile widened, excited, "The trees called for me, all of them. Especially this tree, for it is the loudest. They called for me to come out and celebrate this very special night. And then they told me that you were coming this way."  
  
Arwen was amused. She knew, by nature, that the wood elves could hear the whispers of the trees. Elfing might be able to hear the whispers, but it was unusual that elfling as young as Legolas could understand the contents of the whispers.  
  
Arwen gathered herself from the thoughts, she approached Legolas and carried him tenderly in her arms, "My little Greenleaf, what did the trees tell you? Why is tonight special?"  
  
Legolas hugged Arwen around her neck and answered excitedly, "They said this night is special because it is the night for a very special elf to be awakened. For he has a special bond to every tree in this world and that he could, not only hear and understand their whispers, but to communicate directly with them."  
  
Arwen was shocked at the child's words. In order to confirm her belief, she asked the elfling, "Then, did they tell you who that special one is?"  
  
Legolas released his tiny arms around Arwen's neck. He looked at Arwen and titled his head innocently, "I asked the trees. But they just laughed and didn't tell me the name of the special one. They told me I will understand when I grow up. But I am already a grown up."  
  
Arwen hugged Legolas tightly, for she was too happy for the elfling, "My dear little Greenleaf, you are the special one. You are the first one in the whole history of the elves who is gifted with the ability to communicate with the trees at will."  
  
Legolas looked at Arwen, confused. Arwen smiled, "You will understand when you get older. Now, little one, you should be in bed by now." she said as she carried the elfling in her arms and started walking towards the palace.  
  
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End of Chapter 4  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! 


	5. Chapter 5: Orcs!

Sacrifice  
  
By Gozilla  
  
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Thank you sooooooo much for the reviews!! And thank you for all the comments and corrections! I feel so ashamed that I got a lot of the facts wrong!! A thousand sorry's!!! I once thought whether I should continue with the story. But I feel that I would be very irresponsible to leave you all hanging there. So... please please please bear with me for the mistakes and discrepancies.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* – thoughts / tree talks  
  
"crap" – conversation  
  
(crap) – author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 5: Orcs!  
  
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~Flashback continues~  
  
Ever since that night, Legolas spent a lot of time in the wood whenever his family visited Rivendell. Even the trees seemed greener and livelier whenever Legolas was among them.  
  
By the time Legolas turned 1589 years old, he got his father's approval to travel around the Middle Earth by himself, for he was strong enough to defeat a dozen orcs or spiders alone with ease. Apart from the annual visit to Rivendell with his family, Legolas paid visits to Rivendell whenever he travelled nearby.  
  
It had became one of the well-known facts to the elves in Rivendell that whenever you wanted to find the prince of Mirkwood, he would be either with the Lord Elrond's children or in the wood in front of the palace, in particular, near the most ancient tree in Rivendell.  
  
For his love of the trees, Legolas would spend days in the wood, enjoying the company of the trees. Often, he would sit on one of the high branches of the ancient tree and play wonderful music with his flute or sing songs with his sweet voice in the wood.  
  
But the peace of Rivendell was shattered as the evil spirit of Suaron arose again.  
  
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~One night, in the wood outside of the Rivendell palace~  
  
Arwen and Legolas were talking below the ancient tree, about the recent orcs attacks on the human settlements near Rivendell.  
  
Suddenly, their keen ears picked up usual noise nearby. Reflectively, Legolas picked up his bow and stood in front of Arwen, protecting her from the uninvited visitors.  
  
Their eyes widened in shock as they found themselves being surrounded by dozens of fierce-looking orcs, some of them carrying torches.  
  
The leading orc stepped forward, an evil smile on its ugly twisted face, "Well, well, well, look what we have here. Two elves! Praise to Sauron for giving us an entertainment in this boring job! Well, we are going to have fun killing elves and eating their tender flesh right here very soon."  
  
Legolas tightened his grips on the handle of his bow, "What do you want? You are not welcome here! Leave now! Before the army of Lord Elrond comes and tramples you to hell!"  
  
The leading orc laughed, "You pathetic elf! How do you think Elrond would know we are here? We are going to set fire in the wood. By the time Elrond knew we are here, the flame will be too strong for anyone to put it out. Once the wood is clear, our army waiting outside of the border of Rivendell will have a clear path to destroy the country."  
  
Legolas and Arwen inhaled deeply at the words, knowing Rivendell was in grave danger. Legolas felt his heart twisted in pain as the image of the burning trees flashed across his mind.  
  
The leading orc yelled, "Prepare to die, elves!" as a dozen orc charged towards the elves.  
  
"I will not let you do any harm to Rivendell or the trees!" Legolas yelled. With lightning speed, he shot arrows at the orcs holding torches with deadly accuracy. The torches extinguished as they fell with their holders, leaving none burning.  
  
Quickly, Legolas unsheathed his twin knives and slain the orc charged at them. He stood between the orcs and Arwen, protecting her.  
  
The other orcs paused, stunned by the speed and power of the elf, before gathering themselves and attacked again.  
  
Legolas took advantage of the brief break of fighting and looked around. Knowing that Arwen was not strong in fighting, he tried desperately to find a gap among the enemies for Arwen to escape but no avail. He looked up to the ancient tree and a thought came to his mind.  
  
Swiftly, he held Arwen around her waist. "Please forgive me for my rudeness." he whispered as he gently threw Arwen up to a high branch of the ancient tree.  
  
Shocked by the sudden action of the prince, Arwen landed safely on the branch and held the trunk of the tree. "What are you doing, Legolas?" she asked in confusion.  
  
Legolas blocked the black sword of an orc and slain the orc before answering, "My lady, please stay up in the tree and may the tree protect you with its strong branches. I shall keep the foiled creatures away from the tree until the last of my strength fades."  
  
Legolas fought with all his might and killed many of the orc. However, he was outnumbered and he gradually grew tired after each swing of his twin knives.  
  
Arwen watched in horror as the orc were getting closer and closer to Legolas and to the tree. Suddenly, she sensed danger closed in. She turned around and saw an orc climbing up from the other side of the tree to the branch she was sitting.  
  
Unarmed, Arwen could do nothing but to call for help, "Legolas! "  
  
Legolas turned and saw the orc threatening Arwen. He charged to the orc and stabbed his twin knives deep into the back of the orc.  
  
The orc let out a heart-piercing scream and swung violently against the hold of the elf prince.  
  
Caught by surprise of the orc's strength, Legolas could only managed to retrieved one of his twin knives from the back of the orc, before being roughly threw against the tree trunk.  
  
Arwen felt her heart skipped a beat as she saw Legolas knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with pain. A large silvery-red blood mark was left on the tree trunk.  
  
The other orcs roared and flooded towards the fallen prince. Legolas stood with difficulty and fought against waves of orc's attack. However, his motions were slowed and his strength was weakened by the injury on his back. To make things worse, Legolas had lost one of his twin knives, leaving the left side of him open and vulnerable.  
  
The orcs saw and took advantage of the weakened state of the elf as they attacked Legolas in a tight circle.  
  
Ignoring the injury and the intensive pain from his back, Legolas fought fiercely and slain many orcs. He was outnumbered and the orcs inflicted numerous wounds, some shallow while some deep, all over the body of the elf prince.  
  
Arwen covered her month in shock, holding back tears as she saw the foiled black swords of the orcs cut Legolas' body mercilessly.  
  
She felt as if centuries had passed until the last of the orc had fallen under the lone knife of the prince. Immediately, Legolas collapsed to the ground near the ancient tree, blood all over his body from the numerous wounds.  
  
Arwen jumped down from the branch and gently held Legolas' limp body. She was terrified to find his eyes were closed and his face as white as snow. Tears escaped her beautiful eyes. She gently shook the prince, "Legolas, Legolas, please open your eyes." she whispered softly.  
  
Legolas slowly opened his eyes, which were clouded with pain, "Arwen, please leave the place. There may be other orcs nearby. I am sorry that I cannot protect you any more. I have no strength left to reach the palace. Please go back to the palace quickly. For there shall provide better protection to you."  
  
Arwen shook her head as more tears escaped, "No, little Greenleaf, I cannot leave you behind with your injuries."  
  
Legolas' eyelids fell slowly as exhaustion and the massive blood loss took their toll, "Arwen, listen to me. You cannot stay here, it is too dangerous for you. I am too weak to protect you on the way. Please leave this place quickly before any further danger emerges..." he said as he gradually lost his hold to consciousness.  
  
"Legolas, Legolas." Arwen called desperately and gently shook the elf prince.  
  
But there was no response.  
  
Arwen felt her heart split into half as she noticed that a pool of silvery red blood was forming under Legolas' body, soaking the soil near the roots of the ancient tree. Knowing that seeking help from the palace was the only hope to save Legolas, Arwen gently laid him beside the tree.  
  
"Little Greenleaf, please, hold on and wait for me to return." she said before running towards the palace as fast as she could.  
  
The moment after Arwen disappeared into the wood, a branch of the ancient tree started to move slowly and leaned towards the unconscious form laid on the ground.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Please hurry!" Arwen pleaded as she ran as fast as her exhausted body could, "Please, he needs to be treated immediately!"  
  
Behind her, Lord Elrond, his twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, and two of the best healers in Rivendell were following closely. They heard a brief explanation of the situation from Arwen and they were all worried about Legolas' condition.  
  
When they finally arrived, all of them stopped abruptly and stared at the scene with total disbelieve.  
  
Legolas was lying unconscious near the root of ancient tree, the very same place where Arwen laid him. However, he was now surrounded by the branches of the ancient tree, which encaged the elf prince in a protective wooden cocoon. There were dense, long sharp thrones all over the branches, fending off anyone from getting near to the elf.  
  
"Arwen, what happened?" Elladan asked, confused.  
  
Arwen was as confused as anyone on the scene, "I do not know. There was nothing but a normal tree only a few moments ago. I do not understand how the tree could have grown so many branches in such a short period of time. How can we get to Legolas now? He must be treated immediately."  
  
Elrohir stepped forward, his sword in his hand, "Stay back! I will cut the branches and free Legolas from the tree prison!"  
  
Suddenly, with no wind in the air, all the branches of the ancient tree started shaking angrily. Angry hisses seemed coming from every tree in the wood.  
  
Elrond gently pushed down the sword of his son, "Halt, Elrohir. The tree is not imprisoning Legolas, but protecting him. I do not know how it could grow in such astonishing speed. But I am sure the tree is doing this with good intention towards Legolas. We shall not harm any of its branches."  
  
Elladan asked, "Father, then what should we do? We cannot treat Legolas' wounds with all these branches around him."  
  
Elrond stepped towards the tree and said, "Ancient tree of Rivendell, I am Elrond. We cannot express how much we appreciate your protection over our friend, Legolas. But we must request you to retrieve your branches from our friend for us to treat his wound."  
  
The angry shake of the branches and the angry hisses of the trees stopped. But the ancient tree refused to move its branches away from Legolas.  
  
Elrond sighed, trying to thinking of another way to retrieve Legolas from the tree, without harming the tree itself.  
  
Suddenly, Arwen stepped forward and stood right in front of the thorny branches protecting Legolas, "Ancient tree of Rivendell, I am Arwen. If you could see through my heart, you will see how much appreciation I have for your protection over Legolas. But we need to tend his wounds before his life fades away." she said as she slowly put her hand onto the thorns of the branches, "Please, with all my sincerity, please let us treat our friend."  
  
As Arwen's soft palm touched the thorns, the thorns penetrated her fair skin and the wounds started to bleed.  
  
"Arwen." Elladan and Elrohir said in unison, worried about their sister.  
  
In everyone's amusement, slowly, the thorns started to shrink back into the branches and the branches started to retrieve. In a moment, the cocoon disappeared, leaving Legolas open to his rescuers.  
  
"Thank you." Arwen whispered through tears before she reached down to Legolas. She turned to her father, "Please, father, please help him."  
  
Elrond and the healers recovered from shock and started inspecting the numerous wounds of the elf prince.  
  
When they have finally treated most of the more serious wounds, Elrond and the healers sighed in relief, sweat covered their faces.  
  
"How is he, father?" Arwen asked anxiously. She did not dare to ask the question earlier as she feared she might obstruct her father's and the healers' attempt to save Legolas.  
  
A smile appeared on Elrond's face, "Legolas should be fine. He will live."  
  
The sister and the twin brothers sighed in relief.  
  
Elrond's face turned serious, "It is a miracle that he is still alive. I have never seen any elf who could survive injuries as serious as these. But the most amusing thing is that I can feel two distinctive life forces inside Legolas, one belongs to elves, the other a life force which belongs to the trees."  
  
The others were stunned. Arwen asked in confusion, "How... how could this be possible?"  
  
Elrond inspected the ground where Legolas laid, taking a small amount of soil and looked at it thoughtfully. He then turned and looked up to the ancient tree, "I believe that it may be because the tree has absorbed Legolas' blood."  
  
Elrond knelt beside Legolas and gently stroke his soft blonde hair, "The blood of this child with intensive passion and love to the trees had created a special bond between him and the ancient tree. This has somehow granted the tree the ability to grow and move in an astonishing rate, and the ability to transfer its life force to Legolas, saving him from the hand of death."  
  
Arwen put her hand on the trunk of the ancient tree and whispered, "Thank you for saving our little brother."  
  
The branches of the ancient tree shook gently, for the elves were not sure if it was caused by the wind or it was a response from the tree.  
  
~End of flashback~  
  
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End of Chapter 5  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment!  
  
The last chapter is coming! So stay tuned! ^-^ 


	6. Chapter 6: Ancient Tree of Rivendell

Sacrifice  
  
By Gozilla  
  
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Finally the last chapter! Thank you sooooo much for reading the story to the end! You people have been very kind and tolerate! Thank you again!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* – thoughts / tree talks  
  
"crap" – conversation  
  
(crap) – author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 6: Ancient Tree of Rivendell  
  
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~Three days later~  
  
~In the wood of Rivendell~  
  
After three days of travelling with little rest, Aragorn, Arwen, Elrond and the other warriors of Gondor were exhausted. However, they did not stop or slow down their pace as they all knew very well that the time for Legolas was running out.  
  
Aragorn was worried as he found his friend's pulse was getting slower and weaker as the days passed. He and Arwen spoke of encouraging words to Legolas whenever they had a chance, even though the elf did not response to their kind words.  
  
When they have finally arrived to the ancient tree of the Rivendell wood, it was already midnight.  
  
Aragorn looked at the gigantic tree, his heart tore between the two conflicting thoughts in his mind.  
  
On one hand, after hearing the amusing story told by Arwen, he put all his hope to the ancient tree, for it might be the last hope for his best friend.  
  
On the other hand, his logical mind questioned the power of a tree to revive a dying elf and considered it to be the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.  
  
Gently, he laid Legolas' limp body on the ground near the trunk of the ancient tree. Waves of sadness filled his eyes as looked at the pale face of his best friend, for he knew, unless there was a miracle, his friend would depart from this world very soon, too soon for an immortal elf.  
  
With much effort, Aragorn tore his eyes from his friend. He stepped back and looked up to the ancient tree. It seemed to him the tree was no different from any other trees in Middle Earth. Its green leaves waved gently in the gentle night breeze. Its enormous thick trunk stood proudly on the ground, as if it was claiming its long existence in this world.  
  
They stood and waited.  
  
But nothing happened.  
  
Frustration slowly invaded the king's usual calm heart. He turned to Arwen and Elrond, "Why is there no response from the tree?"  
  
Elrond closed his eyes, sadness filled his face.  
  
Arwen held back tears and replied, "We don't know, for we are not wood elves. Even for a wood elf, one could only hear whatever a tree would whisper. There is no elf, except for Legolas, who can communicate with the trees, let alone requesting a tree to respond."  
  
"But we can't wait any more." Aragorn said, his heart sank as he saw the last of the colour on Legolas' face was fading, "We must do something. Otherwise... otherwise..."  
  
Silence.  
  
Devastated, Aragorn unsheathed his sword and faced the ancient tree, "Ancient tree of Rivendell, before you laid the elf who was willing to sacrifice his life to save you and the other trees. Now his life is fading away right in front of you. What kind of evil creature are you for doing nothing to help him? I shall cut you down to see what colour is your cold- bloodied heart!" he shouted as he swung his sword towards the trunk of the ancient tree.  
  
Abruptly, a powerful force descended from the above and pushed Aragorn's sword downward, before the sword hit the tree. The force was so powerful that Aragorn had no choice but to let go of the sword, which was pushed deep into the ground.  
  
Shocked, Aragorn stepped back reflectively. His eyes wide opened as he saw the source of the force, a tree branch.  
  
*Be patient.* came a deep, slow mumbling voice.  
  
"Who's talking?" Aragorn asked, turning around to locate the source of the voice.  
  
"What?" Elrond asked, "Estel, what are you talking about? No one is talking."  
  
*Be patient, king of men.*  
  
"Who are you?" Aragorn asked, still unable to find the one who spoke.  
  
Arwen looked at Aragorn, worried, "Aragorn, are you alright? Did you hear anything?"  
  
*Be patient, king of men. It takes time for a tree to wake up from its long deep sleep, especially for a tree as ancient as I am.*  
  
Astonished, Aragorn turned to look at the ancient tree, "You are the one speaking? It is impossible. I am no wood elf and I do not possess the ability to hear a tree's whisper."  
  
*King of men, one shall not need to be a wood elf to hear the whisper of the most ancient tree ever existed in the Middle Earth, for it has the blood of one very special elf in its body. The mystery of Mother Nature is something not for any man to perceive.*  
  
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Elrond, Arwen and the others watched in silence, as Aragorn seemed to be talking to no one in their eyes. The men of Gondor whispered in worried words as they feared their king had lost his mind in the grief over the possible loss of his best friend.  
  
Very soon, Elrond and Arwen realised that Aragorn was actually talking to the ancient tree. Though they were not sure how a man could communicate with a tree, they silent the whispers of the men of Gondor with an assuring gesture.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ancient tree of Rivendell," Aragorn said, "please forgive me for my thoughtless words and actions, for I was despaired over the ill fate of my best friend." as he bowed humbly to the tree.  
  
*No apology is required, king of men. I can feel your concerns over your friend. Your wish shall be granted. Not only for your deep passion and love to your friend, but also for this elf to be the trees' greatest friend ever lived in Middle Earth. I shall share part of my life force with him, making him strong enough to heal from the injuries.*  
  
With the last word of the ancient tree still echoed in Aragorn's mind, a gentle shower of light started to descend from the leaves of the tree, landing on Legolas and Aragorn, who were under the tree, and disappeared into their bodies.  
  
Aragorn and the others looked up to the leaves, amused by dream-like scene.  
  
Confused, Aragorn knelt beside the still body of the elf, not knowing what to do.  
  
Slowly, Aragorn felt a warm smoothing stream of energy spread across his body, expelling every single trace of exhaustion out of his body. As if a new life was being inserted in his body, he had never felt so full of life since his birth.  
  
The rain of light gradually disappeared. Aragorn turned to look at his best friend. To his amusement, he saw the colour of the elf's face, though still paler than usual, was much healthier then a moment before.  
  
Slightly, Legolas moved his fingers and a weak whisper escape his month.  
  
Aragorn rushed forward and knelt beside Legolas. He shook the elf's shoulder gently, "Legolas, Legolas." he called his friend as the fire of hope relived.  
  
"A... Aragorn?" Legolas whispered weakly, only barely audible to Aragorn, as he slowly opened his eyes, disoriented and unfocused.  
  
"Legolas, Legolas, come back to us." Aragorn called, guiding his friend to consciousness. Elrond and Arwen approached, also called the name of the prince of Mirkwood gently.  
  
Slowly, the silver-blue eyes of the elf prince came to focus. "Aragorn, Lord Elrond, Arwen, what happened?" Legolas asked in a whisper, memories of the battle flooded back to his mind, "Why... How could I survive the attack?"  
  
Happy tears walled up on Aragorn's and Arwen's eyes.  
  
Arwen knelt beside Legolas and stroke his golden soft hair tenderly, "Welcome back, my little brother."  
  
Aragorn put his hand on the chest of his best friend, careful to avoid disturbing the wound. He felt as if the enormous burden weighted on his heart been lifted as he sensed the stronger heart beat of the elf.  
  
"You said your goodbye too soon, my friend." Aragorn smiled happily and said in a teasing tone, "Also, you didn't say it properly, for I couldn't hear a word you said. So, we have decided to drag you back and force you to stay here for at least another 3,000 years before you are allowed to go anywhere, either to the sea or Mandos."  
  
Legolas looked at his best friend and Arwen, confused, but yet amused by what his friends were capable with.  
  
Legolas looked around and saw a familiar tree beside him. Realised what might had happened, *Greetings, ancient tree of Rivendell.* he whispered in the tree's language.  
  
*Greetings, prince of Mirkwood. It is a pleasure to see you again, though you are not exactly in good shape.*  
  
Aragorn's eyes widened in shock as he realised he could hear the conversations between Legolas and the tree. He knew since a long time ago that Legolas talked to the trees, but it was the very first time he could actually hear their conversations.  
  
Arwen and Elrond stood and watched. They could not hear the conversation between Legolas and the tree, but they had half-guessed what was happening.  
  
Legolas sighed, *Ancient tree of Rivendell, you saved me, again. I feel ashamed for not knowing how I could express my appreciation to you nor how to repay you for your kindness.*  
  
*There is no need to repay me, my dear friend. You have done so many great things to the trees in Middle Earth. You will always be a good friend of all trees. You know, all the trees in this wood miss your songs and music greatly.*  
  
*Besides, I should not be the one to receive your appreciation. You friend, the king of man, should be the one to receive your gratefulness.*  
  
Legolas looked at Aragorn, who was smiling at him. With much effort, Legolas' eyes focused. Only then he saw the deep weariness on the king's face.  
  
Knowing well the reason for Aragorn's weariness, Legolas raised his hand and cupped it behind Aragorn's neck. Gently, he pulled Aragorn towards himself until their foreheads touched. Legolas closed his eyes and whispered. "I am sorry, my friend, for making you worried. And I thank you, my brother, for saving me from certain death."  
  
Aragorn looked at the pale face of his best friend, sensing the long-lost warmth of the elf from his forehead, even with the heavy bandages around Legolas' wounded head. His heart filled with joy he had never experienced. He closed his eyes and whispered, "No, my brother, I should be the one to thank you, for sacrificing yourself for me."  
  
They stayed unmoved for a few moments, enjoying the mere presence of each other.  
  
Then slowly, Legolas' hand relaxed and dropped to the ground.  
  
"Legolas?" Aragorn opened his eyes, confused.  
  
No response.  
  
"Legolas?" Aragorn raised his voice, panic filled his heart, "Legolas? Wake up, Legolas! This is not funny! Legolas?" he said as he shook the elf.  
  
No response.  
  
Elrond rushed to kneel beside Legolas and checked for his pulse. He sighed in relief to find a weak, yet regular, pulse. He unwrapped the bandages on Legolas' head and his body. He couldn't stop smiling as he saw a health sigh of healing.  
  
Elrond turned to Aragorn, "He has just lost his consciousness due to exhaustion. His body needs all his energy to heal the wound. We should take him to the healing room as soon as possible so that we can change the bandages and medicine."  
  
Aragorn fell back and sat on the ground heavily, a small smile escaped, "Legolas, I am going to get you for scaring the hell out of me... later." he said as he got up from the ground and gently picked up his best friend and headed towards the Rivendell place.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The End  
  
Hope you enjoyed the story!!  
  
Please feel free to review and comment!  
  
I am sorry for hurting anyone's eyes with my lousy English.  
  
Just a bit of background about myself and the story.  
  
I have a habit to have a complete draft of the whole fic before considering whether it is worth posting (for you are my precious readers and I really don't want to leave you with some incomplete fic). I would then edit it chapter-by-chapter and post it to the net.  
  
Actually, I planned to make it a death-fic in the beginning (with Legolas died in the battle and later buried beside the ancient tree of Rivendell). But as the story goes on, I think it would be more entertaining to have Legolas alive. So, I spent quite a bit of time to amend it.  
  
I am now working on a sequel to this story. It is again a Legolas-centred story which involved the conflicts between elves and men. Let's see if I can complete the story and post it to the net.  
  
Until then, see you all and take care! 


	7. Author's note

Thanks you so much for all of you who had reviewed the story!! I am total surprised by the number of reviews! Thank again!!  
  
As I have said before, I have just watched the three movies and started to read the book very recently. I am terribly sorry as I know I made a lot of mistakes in the story. I hope I didn't offend anyone.  
  
I am working on the sequel to the story. I hope it will be better than this one. Until then, see you and take care!  
  
Gozilla 


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